Laughing Fits and Hurt Feelings
by MeridaFaeScott
Summary: You'd think that even he would have a little respect for someone pouring out thier deep, heartfelt feelings for someone. She just wanted advice. He didn't have to LAUGH.


**This is for Damaged-Scene for her 14****th**** birthday! I mean to put it up the night before her birthday on the 27****th**** but I got sidetracked…then had a sleepover the next night…So here it is! Better late then never. :D**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

It was getting cooler. The break from the hot, humid weather marked the end of camp quickly approaching. Caitlyn liked the cooler weather. It filled her with energy and eagerness for fall and the holidays to approach.

Shane was oblivious to her anxiety, completely absorbed in the magazine he was lazily flipping through. She still didn't know why he bothered to read the stupid gossip-all it did was make him complain to her about rumors of him.

Caitlyn was trying very hard not to pace. Something had been bothering her for awhile, but she had always pushed it away carelessly. Now it was stuck in the front of her mind, causing her to fidget in her seat.

She felt his eyes on her before actually looking to see him staring at her with a raised eyebrow, "Why can't you ever sit still?"

"I can," Caitlyn snapped, abruptly stopping from drummer her fingers on the armrest of the chair she was seated in, "Where's Nate?"

"Dunno," Shane shrugged carelessly, already looking down at the magazine again, "Why?"

"Because…" she sighed, "Can I talk to you?"

"Uh, you already are?"

"I'm being serious, Shane," Caitlyn snapped.

"Fine, shoot," he didn't even lift his eyes from the page, making Caitlyn grit her teeth as she leaned forward and snatched the magazine from his hands, "Hey!"

"Listen to me!" she demanded, throwing the colorful magazine across the room where it landed somewhere with a soft thwack, "This is serious, so stop acting dumb."

"Fine," Shane rolled his eyes, leaning back in his seat with his arms crossed. Now that she really had his full attention, she faltered. He leaned his chair onto the back two legs, using the wooden coffee table between them as leverage_._

_Good thing it's attached to the cabin's floor._

"It's just…" Caitlyn tore her eyes away from his piercing ones and ran a hand over her face, "Nate."

"What about him?" Shane sounded lost and completely bewildered.

"I think I love him."

There was a loud crash as Shane and his chair fell over sideways, the shock of Caitlyn's words having made him lose control of balance, "You _what?" _he demanded, looking up at her in shock as he stood up.

"You heard me," Caitlyn narrowed his eyes at the strange expression on his face. Then he started laughing. Hard.

"Thanks a lot, Gray!" she hissed, shoving him backwards. Shane took a step back to avoid being shoved over, but tripped over the chair still on its side and ended up falling again.

"C'mon, Cait," Shane was still laughing, a broad grin on his face, "You know that's ridiculous."

"You know what's ridiculous, Gray?" Caitlyn asked, seething, "Thinking that you could act maturely about this! Forget I said anything. Go drown in the lake." She stalked from the cabin, furious as Shane for acting like such a jerk.

She hadn't really thought about where she was headed until realizing she was standing outside the mess hall. Caitlyn came to an abrupt halt outside the building when she heard Nate's voice drifting from just inside the screen door. Thank goodness she was out of sight.

"Are you doing anything tonight?" Nate's words struck her painfully. It sounded like he was working his way around to asking a girl out. Jealous boiled inside Caitlyn's chest and she gritted her teeth.

"Did you want to do something?" a familiar voice replied, hinting at flirtatious. Caitlyn had to restrain from vomiting. Mitchie? He was asking _Mitchie_ out?

"I was just about to ask you the same thing," Nate replied, a smile audible in his tone. Caitlyn was running. She should have known it was right of Shane to laugh. Maybe he wasn't laughing so much at her, but at the thought that Nate would ever _want her._

The attempt not to cry made her vision a little blurry, resulting in tumbling to the ground beneath someone. Caitlyn gasped for breath and tried to rid herself of any signs of being about to cry before registering the weight on her was Shane.

Of course it had to be _him_, of all people. Fate just hated her that much, apparently.

"Dude, Cait, were you _trying_ to kill me?" Shane asked gruffly, sitting up to kneel beside her as he brushed himself off. Then he happened to glance at her and froze, "Are you okay?"

"Of course I'm not okay!" Caitlyn snapped, ignoring his offered hand to help her up as she ran her hands over her face in what she hoped appeared to be exasperation, "How is anyone okay after having 300 pounds land on them?"

There was a momentary silence, "I definitely don't weigh that much."

"Whatever," she muttered standing and trying to keep from letting him see her face very well. What if he could tell she had been trying to keep from crying? Caitlyn ran a hand through her hair, but Shane's hand grabbed her wrist and stopped her.

"What happened?" he demanded, eyes narrowing and daring her to deny everything.

"It doesn't matter," Caitlyn tried to shake his hand from her, but his grip was too tight, "Let go."

"Is this because of me?" Shane asked, almost in a soft, caring tone.

"Don't flatter yourself," she snorted, finally succeeding in jerking her hand away, "You don't have that much affect on my emotions."

"…Nate, then?" Silence.

Caitlyn found herself being pulled against a warm chest, strong arms wrapping tightly around her, "He…asked Mitchie out." She admitted, breaking quickly now that she felt as though he could hold her tight enough to keep her from breaking.

"I warned you," Shane sighed heavily, but Caitlyn shoved him roughly away.

"Warned me?" she growled, "You laughed hysterically! That's not a warning!"

"Well, I-"

"You disgust me," Caitlyn snapped, "Laughing at me and thinking that's fair warning for anything." She spun on her heel, but Shane jumped in front of her looking furious now, too.

"Maybe if you hadn't gone all insane, I could have explained it to you," Shane hissed, "You're the one who stormed out."

"Forgive me for disliking subjecting myself to humiliation by you," Caitlyn spoke, sarcasm dripping from her every word.

"I can't help that I found it funny!" Shane rolled his eyes, but Caitlyn didn't have time to reply nastily because his lips were on hers the next moment. Her eyes widened and she stiffened before shoving him in the chest.

"What was that for?" Caitlyn demanded, noticing that her tone didn't have as much venom as she would have liked. Also, she could feel her cheeks heating up.

"Because…" Shane suddenly looked trapped, agitatedly running a hand through his hair as Caitlyn waited for him to give an explanation, "Is 'I wanted to' a good enough reason?" he asked softly, wincing at the glare on her face.

"No," Caitlyn snapped, resting her hands on his chest as she raised on eyebrow, "But would it be an honest answer?" Shane hesitated before nodding slowly, looking wary as to what her reaction would be.

She was fighting back a smile as she slid her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his. There was a pause before Shane reacted eagerly, holding her tightly against him.

**I wanted to kill everyone, but she said I couldn't. And since it's for her birthday, I listened. **

**Hope you liked it! And had great birthday! :D**


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